Life-buoy



J. E NDRESON.

LIFE BUOY.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 26, 919-- 1,332,171 Patented Feb. 24,1920.

. v I 2 SHEETS-SHEET l- INVENTOR. B Y (/0/7/7 27/705830 ATTORNEY.

J. ENDRESON.

.LIFE BUOY- APPLICATION FILED JULY 26,1919.

Patented Feb. 24, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- ATTORN L Y.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN ENDRES ON, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

LIFE-BUOY.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN ENDRESQN, a citizen of the United States, residin at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and tate of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Life-Buoys, of which the following is a specification:

This invention relates toimprovements in life buoys and means for supporting the same in position on a vessel from which the buoy may be readily dropped over board astern of the vessel in order to enable a person who has fallen overboard to readily reach the buoy. I

IIeretofore, life buoys were secured at spaced intervals to thesides of. a vessel and were designed tobe thrown over board by parties on deck but owing to the forward position of. the buoy and the speed of travel of the vessel a man has frequently been lost owing to his inability to reach the buoy as it has been impossible to launch the buoy in time to permit the throwing of the same into close proximity to the party over board. Therefore, I provide a launching device at the stern of the vessel from which this improved buoy may be launched so that should a man fall over board from a point intermediate the length of the vessel the buoy may be released and will strike the water about the time the vessel passes the party, thus giving him a better opportunity of reaching the buoy.

Another object of the invention is to provide a signal flag which is automatically elevated to signaling position when the buoy is launched and to provide a signal light-which is thrown into automatic operation when the buoy strikes the water.

A still further object of the invention is to provide ladders on the buoy which are designed to permit a person in the water to easily enter. the buoy and which may be also connected to a tackle when. the buoy is being hoisted aboard a vessel. v

As a further object the invention consists in a novel form of cradle and release mechanism for the buoy by means of which the same may be launched from the bridge.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel construc- Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb, 24 192() Application filed July 26, i919. Serial No. 313,609.

tion, combination and arrangement of arts which will be fully set forth in the fo lowing specification, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which: I Figure 1 is a side view of a vessel equipped with this improved launching de- Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the buoy.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view therethrough.

Fig. 4: is a longitudinal sectional View through the launching device, and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary View partly in section of one of the pontoons of the buoy showing the alarm mechanism.

. Fig. 6, is a perspective View of the buoy just after being released from the cradle, the signals being brought into play.

Fig. 7, is a perspective view of the buoy illustrating'the manner in which it may be brought back to its cradle.

F ig; 8, is a detail view of the device for holding the signal flag in an upright position.

Fig. 9, is a detail view of the buoy releasing means. I

Referring to the drawings in detail, the numeral 1 designates a vessel of ordinary construction having the usual bridge 2 and masts 3. Secured to the upper deck of the vessel at the stern is a cradle 4 upon which the buoy is supported preferably in an -inclined position. The sides of the cradle 45 are provided with rollers 5 which serve to guide the buoy out of the cradle and from between the sides thereof and for facilitating the launching of the buoy. Se-

cured between the uppermost rollers of said cradle is the buoyhanger designated generally by the numeral 6 which comprises a base 7 having attached to its upper side a pair of spaced angle irons 8 which are br dged by straps 9. Slidably mounted on the upper edges of the angle irons and beheath the bight portions of the straps is a sliding bolt 10 provided intermediate its ends with a stop pin 11., A hook 12 is pivoted between the angle irons at one end and is provided with an extension which normally lies beneaththe bolt in order to hold the hook in securing position. He

tractile coil springs 13 are secured to the bolt and normally tend to hold the same in such, osition as to overlie the extension on the 00k hereinbefore described. -Attached to the end of the bolt opposite that which overlies the extension on the hook is a flexible member or cable 14 which extends upwardly and forwardly over the stern mast and through the rigging I. to a point on the bridge 2 from which the movements ofztherfiexiblemember and bolt may be controlled. 2

The buoy above referred to comprises a pair of pontoons. 1 5 .whichmay be of any preferred construction and which are connected adjacent opposite ends by pairs of spaced connecting bars 16 to which a sui.t-' able netting 17' is secured. This netting'is arranged in the manner illustrated in the drawing to provide a pocket into which a person may, climb and secured tothe' outermost bars'16 are rope ladders 18 to facilitate the entering of'the buoy. Secured to .one of the pontoons 16 is a pair of straps 19 beneath which an angular extensionof a flag staff 20 is pivotally secured and attached tothe free end of said flag staff is a signal flag21. A bracket 22 having a bifurcated head 23Yis secured to the ontoon to which the straps 19. are attache and is arranged so that when the flag staff moves toa vertical position it will be received between the bifurcations of the head. Suitable spring actuated latchesy24 are arranged in said head and are designed :so that the flag fstafl will be free to move into the head 7 but after having been seated therein will.

be prevented from falling outwardly by said latches. A flexible member 25 is connected to the flag stafl 20 and carries at its free end a light'26 now in use in connection ,withithe ordinary hand lifebuoy. Theli ht 26 embodies a protectiverasing provic ed with map which is adapted to be connected to ahook 27. attached to the cradle at a point preferablyshownin thedrawin As the'buoy islaunched the flexiblemem er 25 will be constrained, causing the protective casing,of 'thejilight to break thereby causing the.lighttolbeignited. 'The light dangles. in the water atone end of the flexible member 25 and by reason of the -=substance withinthe same'being exposed'to the action of' the water, there will be generated a gas which burns continuously setting up a flame which readily, attracts attention. The resistance 'ofiered by theprotecti-ve casing of the light 26 until it breaks, sufliciently constrains the flexible member 25 so as to cause the flag staff 20 to move to a vertical position andto be received between thelatches 24 carried'by the head of the bracket22 to be held thereby-in anupright position. It

wi Redeeme tha b -st l sua actuated.

toons 15 and consists of, among other things, a suitable housing 28 for containing a bell and suitable batteries by which the bell is A switch 29 is arranged in the bell circuit and the lever 29 thereof has connected to one end a flexible member .30 which embodies an element 3O made up of two component parts adapted to be separated when the member 30 is constrained to a predetermined degree. The opposite end of the member 30 is connected to the cradle shown in the drawings. When the buoy is launched the flexible member 30 will be constrained causing the lever 29 to move to close the circuit thereby causing the soundingof the bell. The component parts of the device 30 willbe separated as the member is constrained, the device. offering sufficient resistance before separating to move the, lever 29 to the circuit closing position. If desired suitable containers 31 for food and drinking water may be secured to one or both of the pontoons and each of said pontoonsis provided with a hand rail 32.

In operation it will be readily seen that the buoy is mounted on the rollers 5 of the cradle 4 in such a manner that thehook .12 engages one of the cross bars 16. It will be understood that the ladderslS and the netting 17 is folded into the space between the pontoons. Upon the detection from the bridge of a man over board, pull is exerted on the. flexible member 14 thereby moving thebolt 10 out of engagement with the ex form a bail by which the buoy mayb elevated.

' While in the foregoing there hasjbeen shown and described the i'preferred' embodiment of this invention it is to be understood that certain minor changes in the details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of thisiinvention as claimed.

' What is claimed as new is 1. In a device of the class described, the

combination of a cradle, a buoy adapted-to be releasably mounted on said cradle, a buoy releasing means, signals carried by said buoy, signal operating means, breakable connections between the cradle and said operating means for rendering the signals active upon the release of the buoy from its cradle. g

2. A device as characterized, including a cradle for supporting a releasable pontoon- 10 In testimony whereof I have aflixed my 15 signature.

JOHN ENDRESON. 

